Legal practitioner and social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has expressed concerns over the ‘failure’ of both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to address the protection of citizens’ right to protest in their 2024 manifestos.
According to him, the two dominant political parties neglected this issue, which he believes pertains to one of the most violated rights that Ghanaians are entitled to under the 1992 Constitution.
In a post on Facebook, Mr. Vormawor wrote, “None of the manifestos say anything about the right to protest. And what reforms their governments will undertake to better secure this freedom! Yet it has been one of the most assaulted freedoms in the 4th Republic and under this president!”
The outspoken social activist added that “No democracy sustains itself where the freedom to express dissent is only free on paper and ‘criminalized’ in practice.”
The NPP and NDC both launched their respective 2024 manifestos in August 2024, detailing the various plans and policies that their governments intend to implement.
Notably, none of the documents addressed the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, as observed by Mr. Vormawor.